No Goodbye Is Forever
by Arcane Testament
Summary: As summer draws to a close, Kim leaves for college in Paris. During a mid-semester break, Kim returns home to find everything exactly where she left it. But when a new mission disrupts her week with Ron, Kim finds herself face-to-face with pure evil. K/R.
1. Prologue

It was the middle of August. The cool mountain twilight caused shadows to dance around the quiet deserted area. On the summit that framed the picturesque town, an explosion rocked the peaceful landscape. High atop the mountain, three figures could be seen descending. Quickly.

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, teenage super-agents, had just successfully navigated a virtually impossible maze of tricks and traps to find themselves face to face with Professor Dementor. His plan hadn't actually been very difficult to figure out, and when the duo arrived at the control room of his lair, it wasn't long before they had him in custody. Unfortunately, as things usually go for Team Possible, the lair began a self-destruct sequence. After retracing their steps through the lair, they quickly jumped on their ATVs they had used to ascend the mountain, Professor Dementor in tow.

"KP! Don't mean to rush, but a mountain's exploding behind us!" Ron shouted as he struggled to control the vehicle he was driving. Kim rolled her eyes, where she saw their exit: a helicopter hovering above her. She extended her arm and fired the grappling hook from her wrist Kimmunicator, latching it on to the helicopter's landing gear. She pushed off her ATV and reached back, grabbing Ron's hand. Ron then reached back and grabbed Professor Dementor's shirt. The helicopter lifted up, pulling all three of them away from the explosive mound of rock.

The helicopter landed a short way from the mountain, right on top of Kim's car. The helicopter, owned by the police, took Professor Dementor under arrest and left. "Alright, KP! Another bad guy down!" Ron reached out and punched Kim's arm. Kim smiled back at him.

"No big." Kim replied. She sat down in the driver's seat of her car and turned on the Kimmunicator located below the stereo. "Hey Wade, mark Dementor off the list." The screen below the dash lit up to reveal a short boy sitting in front of a large array of computer equipment.

"No prob, Kim. That just leaves… Drakken and Shego to go." The boy typed furiously on a keyboard.

"Not much to worry about from them," Kim responded as she drove away. While optimistic, she knew it was true. After the alien invasion during Kim's graduation ceremony, Drakken and Shego had retired from evil-doing and were now strangely obsessed with botany. They even funded their own forest conservation project, "The Marygold Company".

"Alright then, that's everybody. No more known super-criminals on the loose."

"Booya! You know what that means! Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable have officially filled our quota for the year! Time to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer." Ron sat back in the passenger seat of Kim's car and closed his eyes. Kim couldn't help but smile. While saving the world was her thing, it was nice to not have anyone to save it from. Maybe she'd finally get a chance to actually enjoy her last summer at Middleton before she left to Paris for college. Maybe she'd finally get a chance to enjoy Ron before she left him to go halfway across the world while he stayed in Middleton, attending the prestigious Middleton Community College. That thought made Kim frown. She knew they'd always be together, but deep inside she knew how tough it would be not having him around to fall back on.

Kim had just recently realized how much she relied on Ron to get her through everything. Sure, she had always needed her best friend, who doesn't? And when they started dating, Ron really began to step up and become the reliable man Kim had thought he could be. The man Kim needed him to be. Sure, life was going to be hard for Kim Possible once she left, but that didn't mean the rest of the summer had to be ruined.

"So we've got a few hours before curfew, Bueno Nacho?" Kim looked over to see Ron's face light up. Rufus, Ron's naked pet mole rat, even emerged from his slumber in Ron's pants pocket to express his agreement towards the situation.

"Aw, KP, you're reading my mind." Ron leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Things like this were the reasons why Ron loved her. Well, actually, now that Ron thought about it, there really wasn't a reason why he loved Kim. He just did. Or maybe it was everything about her. He didn't really think about it too much. All he knew for certain was that he was in love with the most perfect woman in the world and she loved him in return. There wasn't anything better than that. "Hey, Kim, go through drive-thru," Ron requested.

"Why? What's up?"

"Nothin' really, just don't want to go in."

"Since when do you not want to go in to Bueno Nacho?" Kim looked at Ron quizzically.

"Since I realized that I don't want to spend tonight with you in a fast food restaurant. Let's go to Middleton Park. The stars are totally badical there."

Kim smiled. This truly was a first for Ron. He rarely ever got to-go from Bueno Nacho, and it was never for a good reason. Kim drove on in silence and, after about ten minutes on the road two at the restaurant, and twenty at Ron's house desperately searching for a blanket to lie on, they were on their way to the park.

When they arrived, Ron found the most beautiful spot possible where he laid out the blanket and sat down. Together, Kim and Ron watched the stars, talked about memories, and ate Naco loveliness. Rufus had completely forgone the two former options and headed straight for the latter.

After about an hour, they quieted down and simply sat, Kim in Ron's arms, and stared contently at the full moon. Ron suddenly felt a wave of finality rush over him. He knew what the end of summer would mean. It wasn't long before Kim would be leaving to Paris. He knew that they'd never get chances like this again. Not for a long time anyway. Ron choked slightly at the aspect of his near-perfect life crashing down in just a few weeks. Kim looked up, noticing Ron's uneasiness.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Kim turned and looked into Ron's deep, brown eyes. She could see worry and fear lacing his vision.

"What? Wrong? Nothi- nothing's wrong, KP! I'm perfectly fine! I haven't been this happy in forever." Ron stumbled, trying to mask his anxiety. Kim gave him a look that said "you can't hide anything from me," and Ron knew he couldn't.

"Ron…"

"KP, listen. Here's the thing. I love you. More than anything. And, I've kind of become dependent on you. I need you to live. And, I've just recently realized how much I don't want you to go." Ron looked weakly into Kim's eyes. Kim's beautiful, green eyes. He adverted his gaze.

"Oh, Ron. Nothing's going to change… We'll just be a little farther apart than normal." Kim reached out and rubbed his shoulder.

"Yeah, I want to believe that, Kim, but there's just a lot of factors that I don't know if I can deal with. Like what if we go off to college and then you never want to leave Paris? Or what if you're there and you meet a super-attractive French guy and you forget all about me? Or what if I meet a super-attractive Middleton girl and I forget all about you?" Ron's uneasiness grew as his grasp of the situation got more intense.

Kim gave Ron an incredulous look, "Are you serious? Ron, who are you possibly going to find here that you'd replace me with?"

"Hey, the Ronman can be a real player if he wants to be."

"Seriously? And Ron, listen. This entire college thing isn't any easier on me, you know. I have my worries too. Like, what if something happens and I can't come to the rescue? What if I can't save the world because I'm stuck in Paris? What if something happens to you and I can't help because I'm so far away? What if I come back and I'm completely different and you hate me? Ron, it's not easy for anyone. And I can't live without you, either. The thing is, we have to. We have to make it work because, in the end, even if we can't be close to each other now, we still have the rest of our lives together."

"Wow, Kim, I had no idea…" Ron pulled Kim into a warm, soothing embrace. Kim felt all of her worries melt away as she nuzzled her head against Ron's chest.

"So, no big?" Kim asked, not lifting her head.

"Still big, but manageable." Ron replied, kissing Kim on the forehead.

"And I mean, I'm still going to be back here as much as possible"

"You better. I swear if you miss even one holiday, I'll swim all the way to England and drag you back here myself."

"Paris is in France, Ron. And thanks."

"For what?" Ron asked.

"For making everything better."

"But I didn't-" Ron's words were stifled by Kim's lips, pressing softly against his own. The kiss lasted for what seemed like an hour. Afterwards, Ron fell back, lying on the blanket and staring straight up at the sky. Kim rested her head on his chest and did the same. They both knew that even though they were going to be so far away from each other, there was nothing in the world that could possibly keep them apart.


	2. See You in a Few Hours

_Hey, ok here it is, Chapter 1. Enjoy!_

* * *

_Bzzt. _Kim's cell phone vibrated from her bed. She sighed. It hadn't been three days since she told Ron that she was returning to Middleton for a week after her mid-term exams and Ron had already called her over thirty times. Granted, she was excited to finally see him again, but she had exams to study for and the time zone difference wasn't making anything easier.

Kim stood up and walked the five feet from her desk to her bed, where she picked up her phone and answered it, "Ron, you've really gotta stop calling me at eleven o'clock at night. What's up?"

"Eleven? But it's only—Oh riiight. Time zone thing. Yeah, sorry KP." Ron's voice buzzed over the transceiver. "Anyway, I was just calling to double check your flight time and stuff."

"I'm supposed to get in at two."

"Ok, cool. Are you alright? Doin' good?"

"Uh, yeah Ron, I'm doing fine. But I've got a big exam coming up tomorrow morning and I really need to study, ok? I'm sorry, but I'll see you on Monday," Kim sat down in her chair. Ron was cute when he had a concerned tone in his voice, but Kim really had to keep focused. Advanced European history wasn't going to pass itself.

"Oh, ok. Well, that's cool. I'll see you Monday then. I love you," Ron felt slightly saddened by his girlfriend's disinterest in talking, but he knew he had to let her go.

"I love you, too. And don't be late next week, ok?"

"Psh, duh. Ron Stoppable is never late." Ron paused. "When it matters!" At that, Kim stifled a giggle.

"Good night, Ron."

"Nite, KP." Ron hung up the phone and sat back on his couch. It had been three months since Kim had left for Paris, and finally she was coming home. He had the entire week planned out. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her, and he wanted it all to be perfect. After all, she deserved perfect. Ron got up and went to the kitchen where he found Rufus munching away at a nacho platter from Ron's lunch.

"Hey, Rufus buddy," Ron sat down at the table and Rufus looked up, "Kim's coming home next week, so we gotta get ready." Rufus smiled and shook his head up and down, ready to help. "So no more Bueno Nacho till after Kim comes back." Rufus' smile deflated. "What? Don't give me that look. I gotta save up everything I can. I don't get a paycheck until next week and I'm not pulling that coupon book out again. It's home-cooked meals for us for the rest of the week." Rufus smiled again. Ron's cooking skills hadn't been forgotten around the Stoppable residence. In fact, as his parents were working constantly, Ron had become a kind of jack of all trades around the house: taking care of Hana, cooking, and to some extent cleaning. His college schedule had allowed him to take a large chunk of the afternoons off, giving him ample time to help out around the house. While he felt good helping his 

family, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. He really missed all the missions he and Kim went on together. For that matter, he really just missed Kim.

The week went by slowly for Ron. He attended to his usual schedule, keeping up with his monotonous school work and job. When Sunday rolled around, however, Ron found himself unable to sleep. Instead, Ron and Rufus left his house, took his scooter and rode to his old high school. Together they sat in the bleachers of the football field.

Ron remembered so many nights when he and Kim would cheer at the football games, Kim, the star of the cheer squad, and Ron, the school's foaming-at-the-mouth mascot. He thought back to last year when he actually made it on the team. He had stolen Kim's battle suit and went out for quarterback so that he could impress her. While, in the end, he was found out and had to relinquish his title and the power suit, Ron still made it as the star running back. To Ron, while he was playing on this field, he felt like Kim wasn't cheering for the team. He felt like Kim was simply cheering for him. He wanted her to and perhaps she was, he didn't know for sure. He was too focused on not getting crushed by a squad of 200 pound men.

Ron sat there, staring out into the darkness, for what seemed like hours when his phone rang.

"Hello?" Ron spoke into the receiver.

"Hey, it's me." Kim's voice rang through crisp and clear. Ron's heart started to flutter.

"Hey, what's up Kim?"

"Nothing really, I just got to the airport and now I've got like three hours to wait before the plane leaves. I kinda wish I could've talked to Wade about a lift, but whatever. What's up?"

"Nothing," Ron's voice slightly trailed off.

" Ron?"

"Ok, ok. I'm just reminiscing about high school. You know, the good ol' days. Heh, never thought I'd actually miss this place." Ron looked behind him to the school building. Its dark walls resonated with a plethora of memories, both good and bad.

"Wow, yeah that's a change. So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

"Oh, you just leave that to me. I've got everything figured out."

"Ron, you're not going to use that coupon book again are you?" Kim's voice became incredulous.

"What? What is it with everyone and that stupid book? Kim, there's no way I'm going to bring that thing anywhere near you. And anyway, all the good coupons are gone." Kim giggled from the other end. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. " Kim stopped laughing. "It was a joke, Ron. Seriously though, no coupons."

"Listen, don't you worry Kimbo. I've got everything under control. And before you ask, no matter how much it hurts me to say this, we aren't going to Bueno Nacho." Ron stood up and began walking back to his scooter.

"We better not, loverboy," Ron blushed when she said this, "I expect only top quality from Ron Stoppable."

"Anything for you, Kim."

"Aw, Ron. Hey I've gotta go. Security checkpoint. I'll see you in a few hours. Love you."

"Love you too, KP." Ron hung up the phone. His body felt like it was going to float away and slam into the ground at the same time. Kim was coming home. That was a good thing. Being in the school's football field at 2:30 in the morning wasn't. Ron sat on his scooter and began the drive home, finally ready to sleep when he got there.

Kim sat in her seat and buckled the seatbelt. She leaned her head against the plane's window and closed her eyes. Not long now. In eight hours she'd be back in Middleton, just like the "good ol' days" as Ron called them. She couldn't wait. Her family, Wade, Ron: she couldn't wait to see them. She missed her life in Middleton. But college had almost made up for it. After all, it's not every day someone gets to study international diplomacy in Paris. Still, it wasn't the same as high school. As Kim began to drift off, images of the home she left floated into her head. This week was going to be awesome.

* * *

_How'd you like it? Let me know. Chapter 2: Homecoming will be up soon._


	3. Homecoming

Kim was rocked awake, pulled out of a rather nice dream involving Ron and the beach. She instantly snapped to attention, scanning her surroundings before she realized that the plane she was on had just landed. Kim relaxed and got ready to depart. She got off the plane and went through customs; which took almost an hour. _Gotta love Homeland Security, _Kim thought as she walked through baggage claim, her single, wheeled luggage in tow.

Kim walked out into the arrival area of the airport and began searching for any sign of someone she knew. It didn't take long, as she almost immediately spotted Ron's goofy, nonchalant self. Not to mention the large sign he was holding upside down that had "Ms. Possible" written on it.

"KP!" Ron shouted when he spotted her. He nearly sprinted to her, almost tripping over himself. He took Kim up in his arms, not giving her a chance to even say hello.

"Ron! Put me down!" Kim squirmed out of his arms, touched ground, and immediately pounced, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. "Wow, it feels good to do that again."

Ron stood motionless for a few seconds, temporarily dazed from the kiss he had just received. "Ah… Uh… Yeah…" Was all he could manage to say.

"Ron? Hello?" Kim snapped her fingers in Ron's face. Rufus jumped out of Ron's pants pocket, climbed up Ron's shirt and slapped him in the face. "Rufus! Hey!"

Rufus jumped onto Kim's shoulder. "Hey hey!" Rufus said, hugging Kim's head. Ron snapped out of his trance and looked at Kim.

"Oh, right. Hey, KP! Here, let me get that for you." Ron grabbed Kim's bag and began wheeling it towards the exit. "Let's get home. There are a lot of people waiting to see you."

"Sure thing, but uh… You didn't bring your scooter did you?" They reached the parking lot and Kim began searching for Ron's beat up machine. Instead, she saw Ron walk up to a purple sports car that had at one point been known as a Sloth and had been apparently recalled for massive defects. That was until Kim's brothers, the "Tweebs" got a hold of it.

"You brought my car?" Kim looked at Ron who was shoving Kim's bag into the trunk.

"Well, yeah. The scooter doesn't have any… uh… extra room. And anyway, your dad wasn't driving it, so he said I could—"

"DAD'S been driving MY car?" Kim quickly looked the car up and down for dings and scratches. While she hadn't been able to actually drive her car for three months, that didn't mean that she wanted anyone else to drive it. After all, she probably would need the car again at some point in her life.

"Well, not really… Just to work every day. Sometimes I see him pulling out of Cow and Chow. Oh and last week he went golfing a few times. Really, he barely even touches it... Kim? You ok?" Kim had her mouth wide open in disbelief. She had been gone for three months and everyone had taken it 

upon themselves to completely disregard her boundaries? "Kim? KP you're freakin' me out!" Kim snapped out of her stupor. "I brought it 'cause thought you'd like to drive her again. Unless you're too tired. Because I'll drive if you don't want to."

"Oh no you don't!" Kim grabbed the keys from Ron's hand and jumped into the driver's seat. Ron quickly got in the passenger's side and buckled up.

Kim revved the engine, feeling it purr with power. The rocket-powered vehicle felt familiar in Kim's hands as she quickly reversed from the parking space and sprung out onto the road. They coasted down the road on the crisp autumn day, the sun out, warming the car just enough to be comfortable. Oh yes, it definitely felt good to be home.

"So, Kim. What's the plan? I was thinking you'd want to go home first, you know catch up with the folks. Afterwards, we can hang at your place, or--"

"I'd like to not go anywhere other than home tonight. Sorry, Ron, but an eight hour flight kind of kills your energy."

"That's cool, that's cool. We can chill. You should get over your jetlag anyway." That was exactly what Ron wanted to hear: a night in with his favorite girl. He looked at Kim. She really was perfect. Her sparkling green eyes, long red hair (still in its trademark style, however Ron noticed that it was a bit longer than the last time he saw her), and beautiful smile. He was lucky, that's for sure. "Hey, Kim? I'm glad you're home."

"I'm glad to be home, Ron." Kim replied as she reached over and took Ron's hand. She gave it a squeeze and continued driving. It wasn't long before the duo found themselves entering Middleton. Kim noticed that everything was exactly how it was when she left. _Home sweet home_ Kim thought. She drove up through a quiet suburban street, stopping in front of a yellow and brick, modern-style house. Kim's house.

Kim parked the car in the driveway and got out. Ron followed, dragging Kim's luggage. Kim walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, a tall, slim man with graying hair opened the door.

"Kimmie-cub!" Kim's dad wrapped Kim in the biggest bear hug she had ever felt. "When did you get in?"

"Hey dad! About an hour or two ago."

"I see Ron picked you up. How's the car running?"

"Yeah, I've gotta talk to you about that—"

"Ok, give me one minute, I'll get your mother." Dr. Possible walked into the kitchen, "Honey, Kimmie's home!"

"Oh, it's about time." Kim's mom, Anne Possible walked into the foyer of the house and gave Kim a hug. "Hi, Kim. How are you doing? Come in."

"Fine mom." Kim walked into the house and sat down on the couch.

"Hi Mrs. Dr. Possible, Mr. Dr. Possible. Hey, Kim where should I put your bag?" Ron dragged the small suitcase into the living room.

"Um, you can put it by the stairs I guess. Thanks, Ron."

"No problem. So what's with the small bag anyway? Where are your clothes?" Ron set the bag down and flopped onto the couch next to Kim.

"Well, I just brought the essentials. I still have a bunch of clothes here."

"Essentials?"

"Yeah. Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, makeup, compact, blow dryer, and… Well you get the idea." Kim had begun counting out the things in the bag on her fingers.

"Uh… Yeah. Usually I'm fine with just the toothbrush, but whatever." Ron sat back, running his arm over the top of the couch.

"So, Kim, what's the plan? What do you want to do this week?" James Possible sat in his armchair.

"Well, I really just want to hang out today. Not really do anything, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, no problem. We'll just stay out of your way then. The boys should be home soon. I'll make sure they don't bug you, ok Kimmie-cub?" James got up and walked into another room in the house, leaving Kim and Ron left in the room.

"So, how's college?" Kim asked Ron.

"You know, it's actually a lot like high school. Except no you. It does have Bonnie though, so at least all the negativity's still there." Ron scooted closer to Kim and moved his hand to touch her shoulder.

"Bonnie's going to Middleton Community College?" Kim was surprised. The colleges she had been accepted in must not have liked the fact that she had to take a class over in summer school. Oh well, served her right.

"Yeah. She's actually kind of odd now that she doesn't have a cheer squad to boss around."

"Oh, do tell."

"Well, she's been pretty down lately. I guess from getting kicked out of college before she even went there. Then there's all the random rage. Actually, I don't know how new that one is…"

Kim hid a giggle. She felt horrible that Bonnie's future had taken a turn for the worse, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel like justice had been served in a way.

"Oh, and for some reason Mr. Barkin's now teaching there. I'm tellin' ya, I can't get away from that guy."

"Barkin? Really? Wasn't he—" The doorbell rang. "One sec." Kim walked over to the door and opened it. Standing before her was a five foot tall boy holding a high tech wrist watch. "Wade?"

"Hey! Wade's here!" Ron said.

"Oh, hey Kim, hey Ron." Wade walked inside the house and sat down in the armchair. "Ron told me you were coming back today, so I thought I'd stop by and give you the new, upgraded Kimmunicator." He held out the watch to Kim who took it. "It's got advanced GPS triangulation, cell phone capabilities, and it's internet ready."

Kim strapped the Kimmunicator to her wrist. She had almost forgotten what she had done with it after the summer. She had given it to Wade because she thought she'd never need it again. "Thanks, Wade. What's the sitch?"

"No, no sitch. Just thought that you might want it back at some point. Also, I kinda wanted a way to talk to you if I needed. It's so much cheaper than international calls." Wade looked to Ron. "So what are you guys up to?"

"Nothing much, just catching up." Kim said as she sat back down.

"Can I get anyone any drinks or snacks? Oh, hi Wade." Kim's mom entered the room.

"Hello, Dr. Possible."

"No, I think we're ok, Mom." Kim lied back into Ron's arm.

"Ok, well dinner should be ready in an hour or two, why don't Wade and Ron stay?" At that, Ron, Wade, and Rufus all perked up.

For the next hour, Kim, Ron, and Wade caught up. Wade explained how he was currently working with Kim's dad on a micro-robotics project. Kim told Ron and Wade how she dealt with having to learn French all over again and that now she was conversationally fluent. Ron revealed that he had been promoted to assistant manager of Smarty Mart's pet department, which didn't change much of anything other than he was making an extra dollar and 15 cents an hour. Dinner was as normal as possible in the Possible house. The "Tweebs", Tim and Jim, mostly talked in their own secret language while the others spoke of the goings on around Middleton. After dinner, Wade left saying his mom wanted him home before dark and that he was very late. Kim's family retreated to their own sections of the house, leaving Kim and Ron alone in the living room, flipping through reruns of Captain Constellation.

"Ron, there is no way I'm watching that show! You know how much I hate it." Kim attempted to wrestle the remote control from Ron's hands to no avail.

"Aw, c'mon Kim! Rockets are go!" Ron dodged Kim's grabbing arms and held the remote high above her head. Unfortunately, Ron wasn't that much taller than Kim, nor was he anywhere near as strong. She tackled him into the couch and grabbed for the remote. Seeing that Ron wasn't going to give up, Kim turned to her last resort. She sat up and gave Ron the dreaded Puppy-Dog Pout.

"KP! That's not fair!" Ron whimpered before finally handing over the remote.

"All's fair in love and war," Kim leaned in, grabbed the remote, and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek.

"Those eyes are never fair." Ron grumbled.

When they finally decided on something they both wanted to watch: a semi-recent action flick they had both seen close to ten times, Kim and Ron relaxed again. An hour into the movie, Ron noticed that Kim had fallen asleep in his lap. Not wanting to wake her, he decided to let her be until the movie was over. After all, how could he wake her when she looked so peaceful? Ron reached out and moved a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her nose, stroking it back behind her ear. He continued to stroke her hair, softly, as the light from the TV illuminated her face. Ron almost couldn't believe it. She was back and she was all his. At least, until she had to leave. Ron didn't even want to think about the end of the week. After all it was just beginning.

When the movie ended, Ron looked at the DVD player on top of the TV. The LED display blinked "12:00". Even in a family consisting of a rocket scientist, a brain surgeon, and two boy geniuses, where the average IQ was 160, no one had been able to set that clock. Ron sighed and figured it was probably insanely late and that he should leave before his family worried. He looked back at Kim's sleeping form, dreading waking her. Ron sighed again and ran his hand gently down her arm. Kim stirred and sat up.

"What time is it?" Kim yawned.

"Late. I gotta go before my folks worry. You going to be ok getting to bed?"

Kim attempted to get up, but her exhaustion prevented her from even standing. "I could use a hand." She admitted. Ron scooped Kim off the couch and carried her upstairs and into her room. He laid her into her bed and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight Kim. It's good to have you back." Ron stood up and began walking out.

"It's good to be back. I'll see you tomorrow." Kim tucked herself into her old bed and closed her eyes.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

And with that, Ron walked himself out of the Possible house and down the road. Kim took one quick glance out her window. Ron took a quick glance back. Their eyes met, held each other for a moment, and then continued on their path; Kim's to dreamland, and Ron's to the sidewalk in front of him.


	4. On the Town

_So, here it is, the next chapter. This one's a long one. And full of fluff. Enjoy and stuff._

* * *

Kim awoke as the morning sunlight flooded her room. She yawned and stretched, then lied back onto her pillow. Laying there, staring at the ceiling, Kim smiled. She was home again and she was psyched for whatever plans Ron had made. Granted, every time she let Ron decide what to do, it usually involved a visit to Bueno Nacho followed by a "classic" action movie. This time however, things were going to be different. Ron swore not to go to Bueno Nacho and the only movies out now were horror movies and Ron hated horror movies. He was a wimp like that.

After five minutes of reminiscing, Kim peeled herself out of bed and started to get ready for the day. She took a shower, got dressed and headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to find Ron sitting at the breakfast table with half of a pancake hanging from his mouth.

"Goo' morningf, KFee!" Ron managed between mouthfuls of pancake.

"You know, you do have your own family right, Ron?" Kim sat next to him as her mom placed a plate of the golden cakes in front of her.

"Yeah, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for pancakes." Rufus popped his head out of the middle of Ron's last pancake and ate his way out of it, much to Ron's dismay.

"Suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore." Kim pushed her plate away as Rufus pounced on it, munching on the top cake.

"You should eat up, KP. We're going to be pretty busy today." Ron grabbed Rufus off of Kim's plate and pushed it back in front of her.

Kim couldn't deny she loved her mom's pancakes, so she gave in and began eating. After she had scarfed down the remaining discs, she followed Ron out the door.

Kim couldn't help but love Ron's scooter. Sure, it stalled out whenever they stopped and its max speed was about 10 mph, but the thing was a classic. It had a history. Kim's family rocket-powered the scooter so that Kim and Ron could escape the Lil' Diablo robots when Drakken had taken over Bueno Nacho. It had driven them to Drakken's headquarters to stop his plan, and it had taken them back to their junior prom: The Prom where, as far as Kim was concerned, had been the beginning of the world. She loved that scooter and felt so right riding it again. Even if it was talking forever to get to their destination; and she was wearing that skirt. Oh well, at least Ron didn't seem to mind.

"When Ron stopped the bike, they were in front of Middleton Mall. Kim got off, hooked her helmet to the back of the scooter and looked at Ron with a quizzical expression.

"What? Don't want to go shopping? The Kim Possible I know would be all up in Club Banana as soon as she got back." Ron started walking to the entrance.

"Yeah, but I'd never expect you to want to go shopping."

"What? When's the last time I bought you something?"

Kim put a finger to her lips and thought. "Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever bought me anything. Except for Bueno Nacho."

"Yeah, well… A guy's gotta start somewhere, right?" Ron looked towards the floor.

"Thanks, Ron. It's been so long, I've been having Club Banana withdrawals." Kim followed Ron inside.

"Really? They don't have a Club Banana in France?" Kim shook her head. "Wow. You know, that really surprises me."

"Yeah, they aren't really into American fashion that much. Although, I have to admit, the French do know how to design a dress." Kim caught up and wrapped her arms around Ron's, leaning on his shoulder. They walked through the mall and stopped in front of a store with a large, bright, yellow banana, the logo for Club Banana, in front.

"Ok, Kim. I gotta go pick something up, I'll be right back. Think you'll be ok in here for like ten minutes?" Ron looked at Kim with a very playful grin.

"Ron, really? It's Club Banana. I'll be in here for hours. Go have fun." Kim gave Ron a quick kiss  
on the cheek and practically leaped inside the store. Ron walked off slowly, looking back to make sure Kim was thoroughly occupied.

Which she was. Club Banana had always been Kim's favorite store. It was the height of teen fashion and she wanted to be on top. After all, everything in the store just looked so good. She marveled at all the new clothing from the autumn catalog. Rustic colors, soft fabrics, adorable accessories, the place was alive. Kim started going through each rack, nook, and cranny in the store, grabbing things off the shelf, looking just long enough to make sure that they were her size. By the time she got to the fitting room, she had half the store in her arms.

An hour had passed when Ron finally returned. He was holding a small bag and a half-eaten hot dog, looking slightly deflated. Ron walked into the store just as Kim walked out of the fitting room wearing a light orange, baby doll halter top dress that came down a couple inches above her knees.

Ron looked, stunned, for a few seconds before almost dropping his hot dog. As Ron recovered, Kim walked over. "What do you think?" She asked. She could already tell his answer from the way his mouth hung open. This was the reaction she was hoping for. The dress was sexy yet modest at the same time, giving off an incredibly teasing, taunting vibe that Kim hoped to capitalize on at some point.

"Um… Uh… Yeah. Buy it. How much?" Ron eyed Kim up and down again.

"It's uh… 80? Wow. Nevermind."

"No, no. It's cool, I got it." Ron pulled out his wallet and looked inside. "Yup, 80 is no big deal."

"You sure? That's a lot of money."

"KP, you look great in that dress. Plus, you can wear it tonight."

"Wear it where?"

"You'll see. Let's go pay." They both turned towards the fitting rooms when a condescending voice behind them spoke up.

"Kim Possible? Back in Middleton?" Kim looked to Ron who slowly shook his head. She turned around to see a tall, tan brunette looking at Kim with discontent.

"Bonnie Rockwaller. Never thought I'd see you again." Kim leered at her former high school rival.

"Same here. I see you're still dating that loser." Bonnie eyed Ron. "Did he tell you that he's failing out of college? Community college at that." Bonnie's words stabbed like daggers into Ron's chest. Kim looked over to see him staring at the floor.

"Yeah? How is community college, Bonnie? Too bad about your other colleges. I guess admissions boards don't like it when people don't graduate high school." Kim shot back.

Bonnie huffed. "This was fun, Kim, but I've got to go. I'll hopefully never see you around." Bonnie began walking away, turned and looked back. "Oh, and don't buy that dress. It doesn't work for you. Then again, nothing ever did." Bonnie kept walking.

Kim looked at Ron who was still looking down. She touched his cheek and lifted his head. "Hey, you ok? It was just Bonnie." Ron turned away, his face hot.

"Yeah. See what I mean though? She's pure evil." Ron sat down in a chair in front of the fitting rooms and crossed his arms. Kim went inside and changed back into her normal clothes and came out.

After paying for the dress, Ron and Kim made a quick loop around the mall, mostly window shopping. Ron didn't say anything, keeping to himself. Kim finally moved in.

"So, what's in the bag?"

"You want to know the truth, KP? I've been flunking everything in college. I can't concentrate anymore. I've been asking for hours during class time just to get away. I've been falling asleep doing assignments. This college thing just isn't working for me. And it's not fair. Do you know how much I wish I was in Paris with you? I really can't function without you. At all. In high school, you always kept me straight, making sure I finished my homework and that I didn't fall asleep in class. Now, there's no one. Why did you have to go to Paris?" Ron's explosion left Kim, Rufus, and everyone else around them completely speechless.

"Ron, I'm sorry, I…"

"It's fine. I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Hey, how about we get out of here?"

The next thing they knew, they were riding Ron's scooter back to Kim's house in silence. Ron was furious, Kim knew. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. If she had just stayed in Middleton, gone to college somewhere close by, none of this would be a problem.

Ron looked back to Kim for a second. He knew he shouldn't have let Bonnie get to him like that. He was supposed to be the upbeat, happy-go-lucky guy, but he had failed at that. Ron swore to himself that he wasn't going to let anything else ruin his life or his time with Kim.

When they got back to Kim's house, Ron told Kim that he had dinner plans and for her to get ready.

"So, what is in the bag?" Kim asked before Ron left.

"Oh, just something for Hana. You have no idea how much that kid loves books." Ron pulled out a book, Tales of the Flippies, from the bag.

"Oh, Hana! I have to go see her!" Kim squealed. She had almost forgotten about Ron's sister. She had to see Hana before she left.

"No prob. You can come by my place when you're ready. I'll see you in a bit." Ron drove off, leaving Kim standing in the doorway. Ron's mood had improved, Kim noticed. _Good,_ Kim thought, _at least the day's not ruined. Yet..._

"So, Bonnie totally ruined the day, I'm sorry." Kim said while reaching for her knife and fork. Ron had really spared no expense on dinner that night. They had reservations at Fuel, a new and increasingly hyped up restaurant that had opened up shortly after Kim had left for Paris. The place was a very fine restaurant with a particularly casual atmosphere. Kim also noticed that it was very pricey. Kim was rocking her new dress while Ron wore a classy-casual black jacket, black slacks, and white shirt.

"Yeah, well, it's not like anything Bonnie says is true." Ron laughed. "And anyway, I'd like to think that I'm slowly helping to save the day." Ron dug into his meal.

"Well, the day's not over yet, so there's still a chance." Kim took a bite of her dish. "This is amazing!"

"Yeah, well, I told you. Only the best for Kim Possible."

Kim reached across the table and placed her hand on Ron's. "Ron, you're so perfect."

"Hold on, Kim. The day's not over yet."

"What's that mean?" Kim gave Ron her "what-are-you-planning?" look. Ron just smiled and continued eating.

"We've still got dessert."

The rest of their meal was very enjoyable. Kim and Ron shared each other's dishes as Kim had never had crispy duck before, and Ron wanted to know exactly what gnocchi really was. They ended the meal with a shared piece of Dolce de leche pound cake, which both talked about for the rest of the night.

Kim pulled her car up to Ron's house and parked it. She stared into Ron's eyes which were soft and slightly distant, like he was lost in deep thought. "I had a great time tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Ron reached over and took Kim's head in his hands. He leaned across the center console of the car and kissed Kim deeply. She returned the kiss with an equal passion, wrapping her arms around his neck. They held the kiss for a long time. Neither of them could really say how long it had been. When they broke for air, Ron lingered millimeters away from Kim's lips.

"You know, I wouldn't trade any of this for the world." Ron whispered.

"Me either Ron." Kim replied lazily.

"Listen, I have to say this." Ron lifted his head. "I don't want any of this to change. Ever. But I can't help but think 'what if?'."

"Sorry?"

"Like, what if Eric wasn't a synthodrone? Would he be here now with you instead of me? Or would you two be in Paris, completely oblivious to what's happening here? Or what if I told you how I felt and you rejected me? Would we still be friends? It's a lot to think about and it gives me a headache."

"Then why are you thinking, Ron?" Kim kissed him again, but he abruptly pulled away.

"Sorry Kim, I just need to finish. It's been a year and a half since that night, and I still think about it. Listen, Kim, I wouldn't change anything that happened. It's just now I have a lot of time to think about stuff, you know? And, like, all this stuff fills my head and I start to worry. But then I sit back and realize: you're Kim Possible. If you had ever wanted anyone else, you would have gone for it. Because you _can_ have anyone. But you chose me. And, I guess what I want to say is that I feel like the luckiest guy in the world because out of all the people out there, you chose me. I wanted to show you how grateful I feel, but the only thing I could think of was this." Ron reached into his jacket pocket and produced a square felt box. Kim gasped in shock. He opened the box to reveal a simple white gold chain. Attached to the chain were two diamond-bordered, white gold hearts intertwined with an emerald in the center.

"I…Uh… Ron… It's beautiful!" Kim reached out and hugged Ron, practically strangling him. Suddenly, realization set in. "Wait, are these real?" Ron nodded. "Ron! How much did this cost?"

"It wasn't cheap, let me tell you… But, that doesn't matter, KP." Ron took the necklace and placed it around Kim's neck, struggling with the clasp. Kim giggled and helped him attach the chain. "What matters, Kim, is that I love you."

"I love you too, Ron." Kim leaned over and gave Ron the most emotion-filled kiss she had ever given him. Kim realized what this necklace meant. Ron wanted to be with her always. This was his way of making sure that he could.

When Ron finally got out of Kim's car and walked up to his house, Kim drove off, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't believe Ron had done something so totally romantic and at the same time extremely out of character. Kim felt like she could fly. Ron was right. She wouldn't trade him for the world. He made her feel happier than anything ever had before. Nothing could happen that would change that.

* * *

_There you have it. a return from an old "friend" and a hell of a lot of emotion. Anyway, reviews are nice!_

_The next chapter, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is on its way. I'm pretty busy for the next two weeks, however, so it might not be up for a while. I promise that it'll be up as soon as possible._


	5. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_Alright, here it is, the newest chapter! I stayed up extra late the last two nights figuring out exactly how I wanted to write this thing, and it ended up being the shortest chapter yet. Oh well. Enjoy!_

* * *

The night was cold and dark, the air crisp and calm, just how Randall Burgess liked his shifts at the Tri-City Museum. Randall, or Randy as everyone called him, was a night security guard at the museum who loved his job perhaps a bit too much.

Randy had the easiest job in the world. When the museum closed at 9, he would shut down all the lights, lock the doors, and sit in front of a wall of monitors that were connected to security cameras littered throughout the building. Then, at 7 o' clock, Randy would unlock the doors so the morning janitorial staff could get in and clean the place for the next day's visitors. Easy enough.

While Randy sat at the security post, he would usually find interesting ways to occupy himself for the eight hours he was alone. Nothing exciting ever happened with the cameras. The museum hadn't had a break-in for a few years, a long time before Randy got his job. Tonight, Randy decided to break out the book he was currently reading in an attempt to finish it. As he turned to the most recent page, Randy saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to the screen that showed the History's Great Mysteries exhibit. A dim light flashed in the corner of the room. Randy looked closer and noticed a shadow move slowly towards the camera and disappear.

For a second, Randy thought he had just imagined it. It was just a bit of static over the line which his mind had turned into the shadow. That must have been it. Nothing out of the ordinary, everything was just like it always was. Randy turned back to his book. After a few seconds, he looked over to the monitor again. No, nothing there. Just as he moved his eyes from the screen, he noticed the shadow again. Randy looked closely and could tell the shadow looked somewhat human-shaped. And it was moving. The shadow moved across the room and stopped just at the camera. Randy became transfixed by the sight, and as he stared at the screen, the shadow instantly and sharply moved into the camera, knocking it out and causing Randy to fall out of his chair.

Randy, startled, grabbed his flashlight and keys and moved to investigate. There was no way someone had broken in without tripping an alarm. Because of the break-in two years before, the museum had installed state-of-the-art alarms that would go off if so much as a fly landed on a window. Randall made a sharp turn through the Asian History exhibit and ran straight through to the mystery room.

When he got through the door to the exhibit, Randy lifted his flashlight and froze. Standing with its back towards him was a figure in a black cloak. The figure was taller, a lot taller than Randy who stood at a respectable 5'9". The figure stood, unmoving. As Randy started to walk towards the cloaked person, he felt the air grow thick as his chest became heavy. Randy didn't have any history of lung problems, and was slightly alarmed by his inability to breathe properly. The man didn't scare easy. He kept moving forward, but when he attempted to speak, to tell the man, or whatever it was, to leave, he found himself unable to form words. Randy fell to his knees as breathing became all but impossible.

The figure seemed to have acknowledged Randy's presence, because it turned around, looking away from what it had been staring at: a glass case that housed a brilliant silver plate with four indents in it. The entire piece had been etched with markings of an indiscernible language. The large, hooded figure loomed over Randy, staring down with its blank face. The figure then turned around and placed a hand on the display case, glowing white-hot. It melted the glass in the case and pulled the plate out.

Turning back to Randy, the figure moved its face closer to its victim. As Randy stared, dumbstruck, into the hood, he began to scream.

* * *

The air cracked around him as he stepped through the portal. The room he emerged into was dark and quiet. Good. No one to bother him. As he walked through the room, he noticed a video camera in the corner. So someone was watching. He couldn't have that, so he walked towards the camera, grabbed it with his hand and squeezed, crushing the little white box effortlessly. He then turned back around and walked towards the case in the center of the room. There it was. His prize was waiting, completely unprotected, for him to take. He laughed softly to himself and pulled the four gold medallions from his cloak. When the medallions were placed in the tablet, he would be invincible, his plans complete. Standing by the case, he looked on in awe. It was hard to believe that just this one little piece of silver could have so much power. He placed his hand over the glass and began to concentrate. His gloved hand began to glow white. Just as he was about to plunge it into the case, he heard footsteps.

Slowly turning around, he noticed a little man standing shocked before him. The fool must have seen him on the security camera. It didn't matter, the man was unable to stop him. He turned back around and placed his hand on the case again. The glass melted like butter as he pushed through it. Pulling the tablet from the case, he marveled at its brilliance. He quickly placed the medallions into the indents, making the tablet glow with power.

Turning back around towards the insignificant bug behind him, he moved his face closer. As the man trembled in fear, the tablet took effect. He saw the man's face contort in horror and cackled. The man tried to run, but he collapsed again, this time face first on the floor. He watched as the worm gasped for air and when he was unable to find any, he dropped unconscious. That was enough, he didn't want to overexert himself. And there was no reason to kill the man, he was just doing his job. It didn't matter much anyway. The world was about to change and there was a good chance this man wouldn't even be around to bother him again. He instead turned towards the portal he had left, placed his right hand through it and continued, disappearing through the light.

* * *

_Hahahaha! Spooky, no? Don't forget to review! The next chapter, "The New Sitch" should be up by the end of next week, hopefully sooner._


	6. The New Sitch

_Here we go again. Chapter 5: The New Sitch. Enjoy!_

* * *

_Do-do-di-do. _Kim smiled. It had been a while since she had heard the chime of her Kimmunicator. The one thing she didn't understand was why it was going off while Wade was three feet in front of her jumping around in his purple clown costume. Then, Kim gasped.

Kim jerked awake, torn from her fascinatingly strange dream and reached out to her nightstand, her hand landing on the necklace Ron had given her the night before. Her hand lingered there, tracing over the heart-shaped gold and the brilliant emerald. She thought to herself, remembering how Ron had fumbled with the clasp and the touching - if not out of character - speech that he had delivered while giving it to her.

_Do-do-di-do._ Kim reeled. She reached her hand out again, grabbing her wrist Kimmunicator and switching it on.

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked instinctively.

"Wow, that's actually really nice to hear." Wade's picture came through the screen. "Got a hit on the site. Break-In. Last night at the Tri-City Museum. I couldn't get a hold of Ron."

"It's ok, he's probably asleep. We were out pretty late last night." Kim rolled off her bed.

"Oh… Oh! Anything exciting happen?"

"Not really. Just amazingly romantic." Kim picked up the necklace and showed it to Wade.

"Wow. Ron gave that to you? That's surprising."

"Yeah, that's my Ron. Full of surprises. I'll call you when I get him." Kim turned her Kimmunicator off and placed the necklace around her neck. She dug through her closet, searching for her mission uniform. She hadn't worn it in so long; she had almost forgotten where she kept it. The purple shirt and accompanying black pants looked exactly as they had the last time she wore them. After putting the uniform on, Kim grabbed her Kimmunicator and ran downstairs and out the front door before her parents could even say good morning.

The car screeched down the road and parked in front of Ron's house. Kim hit her Kimmunicator's cell phone function and waited for Ron to answer.

"KP? Wha-" Ron yawned. "What's up?"

"Trouble. Mission trouble." Kim said.

"Oh, finally! I'll be right down." In less than thirty seconds, Ron was buckling his seatbelt.

"What, did you like sleep in gear?" Kim asked, marveling at how quickly Ron was able to suit up.

"No, I just keep it handy, right in the front of my closet. Easy access." Ron leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Rufus hopped out of his pocket and sat in his lap.

When they arrived at the museum, they noticed the police had already been called. They walked inside and were immediately ushered to a large room full of odd-shaped and ancient looking objects.

"Ah, Ms. Possible." A man in a suit walked up to Kim and shook her hand. "I am the curator of this museum, Dr. Lewis."

"Hello, doctor. What happened?" Kim turned to look at what everyone else was: an empty glass case with a large hole melted through the top.

"When the morning security guards came in, they found the case empty and our night security guard, Randy, unconscious on the floor." The curator explained. "The stolen object was known as the Tablet of the Apocalypse."

"Oooh, sound's scary." Ron said, touching the glass where it had melted.

"It's more of a pet name really. We don't actually know what it's for or who made it. Here, here's a picture from archives that was taken when we took the piece in." The man handed Kim a photograph. The tablet was a silver slab, about as big as a textbook. On the surface were an array of symbols carved into the surface. In the middle of the tablet were four indents the size of coins, each with another symbol etched in them. "The four indents reminded the archaeologists of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Also, when the tablet was unearthed in Rome, there were words written in blood on it. 'Terminus orbis terrarum.' The end of the world."

"Hence apocalypse." Kim turned to the case and examined it. "Does this look familiar to you, Ron?"

"It kinda looks like a plasma burn – booya a dollar!" Ron bent over and picked up a gold coin from under the case.

"Exactly." Kim switched the Kimmunicator on. "Hey Wade, I need you to research the Tablet of the Apocalypse. And I need directions."

"Where to?"

"The Marigold Company."

Team Possible was lucky that Dr. Drakken had decided to place the headquarters for his forest conservation project – slash – garden center only a few minutes outside of Middleton. When they arrived, they noticed the entire complex was dark. Kim and Ron snuck into a small side door. Once inside, they noticed nothing really out of the ordinary. Rows of flowers – normal flowers – and plants spread out all over the room. Kim noticed, however, that the plants all looked very dry and wilted. It seemed like Drakken didn't have such a green thumb after all.

"Split up. Stay on guard." Kim said, moving towards a closed door on the other side of the room. Through the door, Kim saw a large lobby. This was probably the Marigold Company's corporate 

area. They had entered through one of Drakken's greenhouses. Kim took a quick scan of the area. No one there. She kept moving. As she approached a staircase that seemed to ascend to Drakken's offices, Kim heard a crash. Whipping around, she found Ron standing next to a pile of fallen garden tools. Kim shook her head and turned around. As she did, Kim noticed a green glow a few feet in front of her.

"Who's there?" Came a voice.

"Shego?" Kim jumped forward, tackling Shego to the ground

"What the-" Shego fell and kicked out, sending Kim flying into a wall.

"Hold on KP, I'm on my way." Ron ran through the door and stopped as Shego held a green hand in his face.

"Kim?" Shego stopped and looked at Kim. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We've got questions." Kim stood back up. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here. Drakken's company, you know? 'Gardening Solutions for the Environmentally Conscious'?"

"So, wait. This whole thing is serious?" Ron sat down in a chair in the lobby.

"Uh, yeah? What? Don't believe me?" Shego walked back to where the two teens were. She was wearing a black business skirt and a lime green blouse.

"Where's Drakken?" Kim asked.

"Should still be in his office. He was on a conference call the last time I saw him. Listen, we've got some problems to deal with here, so we gotta make this quick."

"What kind of problems?" Ron asked.

"Half of our plant stock just died. Like, overnight. So, we've got to figure out a way to rebuild half our inventory without going bankrupt. So, if you could get to the point."

"There was a break-in last night at the Tri-City Museum. The case was melted. We thought-"

"Thought what? That I did it? Hey, maybe I'm not exactly feeling the whole goodie-goodie thing all the time, but I'm done with crime. Ever since that Warhok thing, we turned over a new leaf. Ask the man himself." Shego walked back to the desk, pressed a button, and talked into a microphone. "Drew? Some old friends came by to say hi."

"Drew?" Ron looked to Kim who shrugged her shoulders.

In a few minutes, Dr. Drakken came down the staircase. He was wearing a blue business suit. Kim noticed he had foregone his mutant flower pedals that had consistently grown back every time he had torn them off. "Kim Possible! Ron Stoppable! How's college?"

"Uh, it's fine." Kim turned to Ron and whispered "this is so weird."

"What's weird is he remembered my name." Ron whispered back.

"Come here, walk with me, talk with me." Drakken pulled Kim aside.

Shego and Ron were left alone in the lobby as Drakken took Kim up to his office. "So… You two still together? Or…"

"Yes. We are." Ron felt very uncomfortable being so close to someone who had a history of inflicting a lot of pain on him.

"Really? So you guys made the whole long distance thing work, then? That's impressive. What's it been a year now?" Shego sat down in one of the chairs.

"Year and a half. What about you? You and Drakken together yet?"

"Wha-What? How many times do I have to tell you people, there's nothing going on between Dr. D. and me?" Shego's usually stark pale face was slowly growing red.

"Oh yeah? And you want us to believe that you turned all good just because you felt like it?"

"Uh, wow. Cornered by the sidekick. Ok, ok. Maybe, MAYBE there's something. But what business of yours is it?"

"Nothing. Just making conversation." Ron looked at Rufus who had peeked out of his pants pocket. The naked mole rat looked at Shego and stuck his tongue out, disgusted by the aspect of her and Dr. Drakken together.

In fifteen minutes, Kim and Dr. Drakken returned. "So, yes. I've been a lot more successful with legitimate business practices than I have been trying to take over the world."

"Yeah, well we don't exactly have to worry about teenage superheroes stopping us from planting trees." Shego said and Drakken laughed. Kim looked at Ron who was obviously uncomfortable. The idea that their greatest enemies were now honest business people was a very strange feeling.

"Ok, well, if you hear anything about the Tablet of the Apocalypse, let us know, ok?" Kim stood and turned to leave.

Shego nodded. "Will do. Oh and Kimmy?" Kim turned back around. "You're getting rusty."

"Well, uh… Thanks Shego." Kim and Ron left the building and returned to the car.

"So, do you believe them?" Ron asked as they drove away.

"Actually, I do. The fact that Shego didn't try to kill us and that Drakken kept his maniacal laughing to a minimum is pretty much all the proof I need." Kim turned on her Kimmunicator. "Dead end, Wade. Drakken and Shego are clean. Any ideas?"

"Well, no actually. Everyone else is still in prison." Wade was typing furiously on his keyboard.

"Great. That means we've got a new villain to worry about."

"Yeah. But maybe this will help. I was able to find some information on the tablet. The museum had it partially right. According to some old Roman texts, the tablet's real name is 'Traba Infinus Nex.' Loosely translated it means 'Tablet of Infinite Death'."

"So much better than Tablet of the Apocalypse. Heh. Not nearly as scary now." Ron laughed nervously.

"The tablet was mentioned in a lesser known story in Greek mythology as well. It was made by the god Ares as a gift to the warrior king of Sparta. He used the tablet to control an army of demons against the gods."

"Oh, wow. Demons. Not like we haven't dealt with those before, right?" Ron's smile faded.

"Uh… yeah. Sure. Thanks, Wade." Kim said.

"But that's not all. What's even weirder is that even though the tablet is mentioned in Roman and Greek mythology, it's actually much older. The carbon dating the museum did when they got the tablet makes it around 15,000 years old."

"Wow, that's ancient." Ron said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah. Like, pre-civilization old. Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted on the villain front. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

"Please and thank you." Kim switched off the monitor.

"So, KP. We've still got a few hours of today left. Any ideas?" Ron looked at his girlfriend who was strangely distant. "KP?"

"I'm sorry Ron, I'm just thinking about this mission thing. It's kind of weird. Like, we aren't dealing with a completely unknown criminal. This guy might actually be serious. And if what Wade says is true, that artifact is going to be some serious trouble."

"Kim, come on. Demon army? The Apocalypse? No big, just a myth. A very cliché one at that." Ron placed a hand on Kim's shoulder.

"Yeah, but that's what we thought about the Yono, remember?" Ron did. The Yono, the dark destroyer, was fought and defeated by Ron's infant sister, who Ron had just figured out was a ninja baby given to his family in secret. The Yono had been an extremely powerful monkey spirit that was destined to fight Hana. He had nearly killed Kim, turning her into stone. It had been a miracle that they were able to stop him. There was no way whatever this was could be worse than that.

"Don't worry, KP. We can handle it. You're Kim Possible, as in 'anything is…'. When Wade figures out where the tablet is, we'll go get it, catch the guy who stole it, and throw him in jail like the rest of the idiots out there."

"Sure, I guess. I just hope that this whole thing about demons isn't true." Kim parked the car in front of her house. "Want to come in for pizza and a movie?"

"Booya! Pepperoni and extra cheese, please!" Ron followed Kim out of the car and into her house, a great sense of accomplishment filling his body. After over three months without a mission to go on, Team Possible was back. Even if they were dealing with ancient god-like enemies, they could win. Sure, Ron wasn't looking forward to actually fighting the aforementioned ancient god-like enemies, but he could step up when he needed to. He also had Kim, and together they could beat anything and anyone. They were Team Possible. And for them, anything was.

* * *

_There you have it. Reviews are always appreciated. The next chapter, "The Last Night" is actually done, I'm just doing some editing. It'll probably be done later today, but I don't want to overburden you guys with chapters, so it'll be up by Wednesday. Oh, and warning now: it's full of emotion, fluff, Nacos, and a few reasons why I rated this fic Teen.  
_


	7. The Last Night

_Alright, and here it is: the ultimate fluffy chapter. Well, to a point. Read it and see._

* * *

The next few days went by slowly for Kim. Ron had been called in to Smarty Mart to deal with a rogue hermit crab that had gotten out of its cage. Kim had absolutely nothing to do while Ron was at work. When he was off work, he was so wiped out from chasing the crab, he fell straight asleep. Then, the next day, he woke up and did the exact same thing. Kim called Wade every few hours to check up on the missing tablet, but he had hit a dead end. She had become so bored that she decided to hang out with the Tweebs Friday night. This consisted of the two boys converting a toaster into a rocket-powered space probe while Kim tried not to get blown up.

Saturday afternoon, Ron finally got off. He and Rufus had been chasing the hermit crab around Smarty Mart for two days, and finally caught a break when it ran out of energy from lack of food.

"Do you know how fast a hermit crab can run?" Ron asked as he collapsed on Kim's couch.

"Faster than you?" Kim curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah? The thing was like a cheetah! A two inch-long cheetah!" Ron huffed.

"Aw, it couldn't have been that bad."

"You know Rufus fell asleep as soon as we got home today because of how tired he was? Rufus never gets tired. And do you know where it was when we found it?" Kim shrugged. "It was on top of a 64" TV. How does a hermit crab get on top of a TV? A huge TV at that!" Ron paused. "Anyway, I'm sorry KP."

"For what?" Kim sat up.

"Bailing on you the last two days."

"That? So not the drama, Ron. I was fine here, alone. I... uh... caught up on a lot of TV I had missed."

"Sounds fun." Ron smiled. "But, tonight's your last night here. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm… I don't know. How about you choose?"

"I've been choosing for the past week. It's your turn." Ron said, slouching even lower on the couch.

"Alright. Well, how about…" Kim thought hard. Then, a genius idea popped into her head. "Let's go to Bueno Nacho."

"Wait, what? I thought you didn't…" Ron sat up in surprise.

"Well, yeah, but I miss it. And anyway, you look like you could use some Nacoliciousness." Kim kissed Ron on the cheek and stood up.

"Oh, Kim. I love you!" Ron stood up himself and wrapped his arms around Kim's waist, pulling her into a deep kiss. "Let's go!"

Kim and Ron made their way to Bueno Nacho in Kim's car. When they arrived, they went inside and were greeted happily by Ned, the manager. "Welcome to Bueno… Ron! Hey! Is that… Kim?" Kim gave Ned a smile. "What can I do for you guys?"

"I'll have four Nacos, a Quesarito, and a Tortata salad. Extra cheese. Kim?"

"Uh, just a salad and a small soda." Kim said.

"Alright, coming right up." And sure enough, in little under a minute, their food was ready. Ron paid and they took their food to a nearby booth. Sitting down, Kim and Ron were flooded with memories of their past. For years they had gone to Bueno Nacho. They talked about everything in those booths. To be back again, for the first time since Kim left, they both felt like a hole in their lives had been filled. While they ate, the sat back and talked, as the used to, about anything they could think of. They spent hours talking about everything. Kim told Ron more about college in Paris and about how she was getting along with having to learn French. She also talked about, much to Ron's discomfort, the number of French boys who always hung around her, trying to win her heart in extremely fancy, albeit unsuccessful ways. Kim would say that her boyfriend in America was a hundred times cuter and a thousand times sweeter, but good try. This made Ron smile.

"It's only 'cause their jealous. They just want to get with Kim Possible. But, too bad. Ron Stoppable beat them to her!" Kim laughed so hard, her soda almost came out of her nose.

After they had finished eating, they went back to Ron's house. Ron felt bad that they hadn't invited Rufus, but they realized that he was still probably passed out on Ron's bed. He decided to leave Rufus the leftovers for when he woke up.When they got to Ron's house, they noticed it was empty. Ron found a piece of paper on the kitchen table that read, "Took Hana to ice skating class, be back around 10."

"Do you think they'll ever realize that a toddler can't ice skate? Well, maybe Hana can. Being a ninja baby and all. But normal toddlers definitely can't skate." Ron flopped onto his bed, waking Rufus.

"Maybe they're banking on the fact that she is a ninja baby. I think she'd be a pretty awesome figure skater." Kim sat next to him. Rufus got up and climbed off the bed.

"Hey, Rufus. There's a Naco and a Quesarito left downstairs for you." Ron said, pointing downstairs. Rufus perked up and bolted down the attic steps and through the house.

"So, Ron… It looks like this is it." Kim turned her head towards Ron. He hadn't looked away from the door. He knew this was coming: the end of Kim's vacation; Ron's return to reality. He didn't want it to end. He wanted her to stay, wanted her to forget about college and come back to Middleton for good.

"Yeah, I guess so. The last night. You know, it came a lot faster than I thought it would." Ron kept looking away. "I don't want to say goodbye, Kim. That's not really my style. I'd prefer if we never had to say it. We shouldn't have to. I mean, why do you have to go back to Paris? It'd be so much simpler if you just stayed here."

"No, Ron, it wouldn't. I know how much you want me to stay. I mean, I want to stay. But, our future is the most important thing right now. Listen, I'm not going to get anywhere by dropping out of college. No matter how much I'd rather be here, this isn't where my life wants to go. We'll always have each other, you should know that. No goodbye is forever. Not when anything is possible." Ron heard Kim choke up a bit when she said this. He turned around and looked into Kim's eyes. They were lined with tears.

"Kim, I… I don't mean give up your future. I'd never want you to do that. I just wish there was a way for us to be able to be like old times. And… And right now, I don't know how I can survive without you."

"Ron, remember what I said three months ago? About how I always want to be able to help if I'm needed. Well, I know how much I'm needed here. How much you need me. I know how much I need you. I agree with you, Ron. I'd love nothing more than to just be able to come home and have you there waiting for me. I don't want to leave either. But I have to. This is how it has to be. Just for a little while longer, anyway." Kim placed her hand on Ron's cheek.

"KP, I'm sorry I'm getting so emotional. This is your last night, we should be having fun, not moping around." There was a silence. Ron ran his fingers across Kim's collar, tracing the necklace he gave her. "Do you remember our first kiss?"

"Junior prom? Yeah. I remember it took Rufus to get you to finally ask me to dance." Kim laughed as the tears slowly built up.

"Yeah. I was pretty nervous. My hands were really sweaty."

"Yeah, they were, but it's ok. I didn't really notice."

"And when you hugged me, I was kinda surprised. But in a good way. It was probably the greatest feeling I had ever felt before." Ron lifted his hand to Kim's face and softly wiped her tears away.

"You smiled, and I stared into your eyes." Kim looked into Ron's eyes, just as she had that night. "To be honest, I was pretty nervous myself. I felt like I had to try extra hard because you were my best friend. I didn't want to disappoint you." Kim's voice had become a whisper.

"KP, you've never had to try…" Ron's voice trailed off as he moved his head closer to Kim's, brushing his lips against hers. "You were always perfect."

Kim looked at Ron who was sporting the exact same expression he had that night: his goofy smile highlighted by a hint of content in his eyes. She smiled back and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. Ron fell back onto his bed and Kim followed. She pressed her body against Ron's, deepening the kiss. Ron's arms found their way around Kim's waist, his hands resting on the small of her back. Kim pulled away for air and rolled over so they were on their sides, facing each other.

"Kim, I love you." Ron whispered as he fingered Kim's necklace again. Kim reached up and held the pendant in her hand.

"I know." She kissed Ron again. He rolled over, his upper body now on top of hers while his legs dangled off the edge of the bed. They continued kissing, letting their love and passion flow through their lips. Kim moved her hands up Ron's back, massaging away any worry he had from only moments ago. Ron let his hands wander, moving slowly down the outside of her leg and up again to her waist, lingering at the edge of her shirt. Kim didn't even flinch. He slowly, softly moved his fingers under the fabric and again to her waist. He lifted his head away from hers and looked into her eyes. Those green eyes told him everything he needed to know. That, and the kiss that followed, threw out whatever inhibitions he had left.

Rufus, who had just finished with his Bueno Nacho meal that Ron had provided, began to scurry his way up the stairs, back to his bed for some much deserved sleep. When he reached the door to the attic, he stopped. Rufus knew Ron and Kim were in Ron's room, and something told him he should just leave them be. He had respect for Ron, and didn't want to interrupt any big important conversations that the couple was having on their last night together. And he especially didn't want to walk in on them making out. Humans had a funny way of showing affection. Rufus didn't understand how the idea of swapping saliva with each other was affectionate. If it were Rufus in Ron's shoes, he'd give Kim a wheel of cheese. Nothing says "I love you" like a big slab of Gouda. But, it seemed like whatever Ron had been doing for the last year and a half had been working pretty well for him. Kim was still around, that was for sure. Rufus scampered down the stairs again and curled up on the couch in the living room. He'd wait until Kim left, and then return to his bed. It shouldn't be too long. Kim had a flight in the morning and Ron's family was going to be home soon. Yup. Ron better hurry it up with whatever he wanted to say to Kim. Rufus wanted his bed back.

* * *

_So there it is. I really hope people don't flame me for this. I tried to keep everything as clean as possible. Anyway, review and stuff. And be nice. Next chapter: "Goodbye Again?" should be up sometime soon.  
_


	8. Goodbye Again?

_Woah, I totally posted this chapter without writing any kind of author's note beforehand. Anyway, I don't really have much to say other than thanks for the reviews and keep reading!_

* * *

The sun crept in through the small attic window, the warmth dancing on Kim's face. She rolled over in an attempt to guard her light-sensitive eyes. She looked out slowly and smiled. Ron lay asleep next to her, shirtless and blissful. Kim smile grew, remembering what had happened the night before. She stayed there for a few more minutes, thinking. She knew she had to leave, but at the same time knew she should. She knew that this was where she belonged.

_Do-do-di-do._ Kim cringed. She quickly rolled over and grabbed the Kimmunicator off of Ron's nightstand. Wrapping the comforter tightly under her arms, she answered the call. "What's the sitch, Wade?" She whispered.

"Kim? Where are you? Your parents were looking for you." Wade took a look around the room. "Are you at Ron's?"

"Uh, yeah. Late night, I fell asleep." Kim really didn't feel like explaining her position to the 13-year old computer genius.

"Well, you better hurry and get up. Your flight is in less than 3 hours. You've got to be at the airport soon."

"Thanks, Wade." Kim turned her Kimmunicator off and dropped it back on the table, her good feelings all but gone. Ron jerked awake as the wristwatch thudded against the wooden table.

"What? What happened?" Ron looked around, unaware of his surroundings.

"Nothing, Ron. It's ok!" Kim placed a hand on Ron's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"Oh, Kim… Wait, why are you in my bed? What did I miss? Where are my pants? Why do I always lose my pants?"

"Ron, it's ok, you didn't lose your pants. They're on the floor. And you didn't miss anything. I'm pretty sure you were here the whole time." Kim's voice became soft and enticing. She wrapped her arms around Ron and kissed him.

Ron looked Kim up and down, realizing what had happened. "Oh, right. Yeah, now I remember… Booya! Score one for the Rondo!" Ron grinned. Kim frowned.

"Wow, smooth going, Casanova. I think I liked you better asleep." Kim rolled away and got up.

"Woah," Ron gaped at Kim's half-nude body. "He-hey! Where are you going?"

"To get dressed? I've got to get home. My flight leaves in less than an hour and I've got to get to the airport. At least, if I survive that long. My dad might kill me for not going home last night." Kim threw her shirt on and grabbed her pants.

"Well, I'm coming too." Ron got up and struggled to pull his pants on.

"Um, that might not be a good idea. My dad _will_ kill you if he sees you. How about I meet you at the airport?" Kim turned and kissed Ron on the cheek, then walked down the attic stairs. Ron followed, hoping his parents weren't home. Fat chance of that, though, as it was Sunday. Kim opened the attic door to find Rufus standing at the doorway, looking annoyed.

"Rufus? Hey, buddy. What's up?" Ron bent over to pick Rufus up, but he walked straight past them and ran up the stairs. "Yeah, he's mad."

"I totally forgot about him." Kim walked back up the stairs to see Rufus sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Rufus. Sorry about last night. When I come back, We can hit up the Bueno, ok?" Rufus looked at Ron, indifferent. "Aww, come on bud! Do me a solid." Rufus smiled and gave Ron a "thumbs-up" gesture. Ron followed Kim downstairs.

When Ron and Kim got down to the living room, they saw Hana playing with a tower of blocks. "Hana?" Kim said as she knelt down to Hana's height. Hana looked at Kim, gurgling. "Hana, I'm going away for a while. I'll see you later, ok?" Hana reached out, put a hand on Kim's face, and laughed. Kim gave Hana a hug and got up.

"Hana, honey, time for breakfast." Ron's mom said as she came into the room and picked up Hana. "Oh Kim, when did you get here?"

"Oh, uh… A little while ago. I had to, uh… say goodbye to you guys." Kim said, not looking at Ron's mom.

"Oh, well, goodbye, Kim. When are you going to be back?"

"Around Christmas, hopefully."

"Well, don't be a stranger. Hana loves your company. We all do." Kim smiled and Hana giggled.

"Alright, well, I've got to go. Ron, I'll see you at the airport, ok?" Ron nodded, attempting to avoid his mother's attention. Kim kissed him on the cheek and ran out the door. Ron walked into the kitchen and pulled out a box of cereal.

"Ronald? Was that Kim?" Ron's dad's voice echoed over his newspaper.

"Yeah, she uh… Came by to say goodbye to Hana and stuff." Ron sat down and nervously poured cereal into a bowl.

"Ah. That's what she was doing here last night?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. She just came over to hang out. We fell asleep talking and stuff, you know…" Ron devoured his cereal and threw the bowl into the sink.

"Yeah right," came a small voice from the table. Rufus had climbed up and was eating at some cereal pieces Ron had dropped.

"Ok, well, it'd be nice if you told us before you had Kim over. And there's no need to lie to us. We just want to know so we don't accidentally interrupt anything… private."

"Oh, well… This is my way of telling you? I'll make sure that I fill you in next time." Ron grabbed Rufus, turned from the kitchen and ran out the door, jumping onto his scooter.

"Our boy is growing up." Ron's dad said, placing the paper on the table.

"Yes, but he's in good hands." Ron's mom replied as she spoon-fed Hana oatmeal.

"Kim loves Ron!" Hana gurgled between mouthfuls of oats.

Ron raced down the road, scorching through traffic. He arrived at the airport in 30 minutes, jumped off his scooter and ran inside. He scanned the large room until he noticed the Possibles standing together, waiting. Ron walked up to the family.

"Hey, Mr. Dr. P., Mrs. Dr. P., Tim, Jim. I'm here. Where's Kim?" Mr. Dr. Possible looked sternly at Ron, making Ron suddenly nervous.

"Kim's checking her bag. She should be back soon." Mrs. Dr. Possible said.

"So, Ronald. I hear Kim slept over at your house last night. Is that correct?"

"Uh, yeah…yes. She did. Sorry about that. We lost track of time and…" Ron's voice trailed off as he adverted his gaze. He felt Dr. Possible's eyes bore through the side of his head.

Kim walked up, appearing, Ron thought, out of nowhere. "What's going on?" Kim looked to her father and then to her boyfriend.

"Ron and I were just having a talk. Man to man." James looked back to Ron, his eyes piercing Ron's.

"Oh, dad, leave him alone." Kim put a hand on her father's arm.

"Are you all checked in?" Anne Possible asked Kim.

"Yup, just got done. I've got to go through security now, so…" Kim hugged her parents and kissed them on the cheek. She knelt down and hugged the Tweebs, much to their displeasure. She then turned to Rufus, sitting on Ron's shoulder.

"Buh-bye," he squeaked, tears running out of his eyes.

"Bye," Kim looked to Ron.

"You know what I have to say, Kim. Don't make me. I'm not good with goodbyes."

"It's ok. I'll be back for Christmas." Kim took Ron's hands into hers.

"Yeah, just don't forget me, ok?"

"I couldn't forget about you if I wanted to. You call me four times a day." Ron laughed nervously and looked away.

"I'll miss you, KP." Ron looked back into Kim's eyes. She was fighting tears.

"I love you, Ron."

"I love you too." Ron leaned in and kissed Kim. When they parted, Ron turned around, about to leave. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah. Sometime soon." With that, Kim walked off to the security checkpoint, and Ron walked towards the exit, occasionally looking back to watch Kim disappear.

So Ronald. About Last night…" Kim's dad said, walking up next to him. "Now, I know about how Kim slept over. I also know what kids do when they're alone together." James moved in closer, wrapping an arm around Ron's should. "Now, I'm not going to make any accusations. I just want you to know that if you hurt my little girl in anyway… Well, remember the black hole deal? It's still on. Understand?"

Ron gulped. "Y-Yes sir."

"That being said, I honestly don't think Kim could have chosen a better person to fall in love with." Ron did a double-take.

"Wait, what?"

"You two were made for each other. I've never doubted that. I had always hoped it would be you. Believe me, it was a load off my back." Ron looked at Dr. Possible, even more confused. "I always worried about the boys that Kim dated. You know how the whole father-daughter thing goes. Only the best. And I knew that you were the most trustworthy, loyal, caring man in Kim's life. With you I didn't have to worry, because I knew you'd do whatever you had to to make Kim happy. And so far it's worked. Just don't screw it up. I expect you two to get married one day, you know." James walked away leaving Ron stunned. He knew that Kim's dad was happy about Ron and Kim, but he had no idea that he wanted Ron to marry Kim. This was huge for Ron.

Ron drove down the street, his face blank. Ron had spaced out, thinking of Kim in Paris and Kim's dad's confession. Ron didn't even notice as his scooter was picked up and thrown twenty yards onto the road, sending him flying from the seat. Ron skidded to a stop, tearing his shirt, and back, to shreds. Rufus fell out of his pocket, bruised.

"Uh, hellooo? Watch where you're going, you-" Ron stopped. His assailants were four unnaturally tall men wearing a full suit of black, spiked, steel armor. They advanced on him, one brandishing a twisted black sword.

"Give us the medallion, and you shall live." The one with the sword, the leader, said.

"What? Medallion? I don't have a medallion." Ron said, getting to his feet. He was promptly knocked down again, onto his back.

"Then you shall die." The leader said solemnly. He raised his sword, ready to strike.

"Wait! Wait. Are you guys really using swords? Because that's cool, but-" Ron was cut off by a foot to the stomach.

"Silence. You don't have the last medallion for the tablet. We don't need you anymore."

"Wait, did you say tablet? The tablet that was stolen from the museum? Hey wait a second. You guys stole the tablet?"

"Where is the medallion?"

"Sorry, but I don't think so." Ron stood in full battle stance, ready to fight. He only hoped his mystical monkey powers decided to kick in, because these guys were serious. The first one lunged, swiping his sword at Ron's head. Ron skillfully ducked and kicked out, pulling the man's feet out from under him. The second one leaped over the first, landing a punch square in Ron's face. Ron retaliated, making a swing that struck home, but barely made the man flinch. "Owww!" Ron shouted as his hand throbbed from hitting steel. The other three flanked Ron, surrounding him. The four attacked, together landing a series of blows to Ron's face and body. He went down, blood flowing from his nose. Ron looked up just as a foot came down on his throat, making him gasp for air. The armored boot slowly pressed harder, restricting Ron's breathing. Just as Ron was blacking out, he felt a surge of energy rush through him.

Finally, his ancient powers were released, and not a moment too soon. He reached up, grabbing the foot, and pushed up, sending the man flying. Ron jumped up, slamming his knee into one of the warriors' helmets, downing him. He quickly turned, roundhouse kicking the third oncoming enemy and sending him into the guard rail by the deserted road. This just left the leader. Ron began to glow blue as his full power was released. He jumped forward, grabbing the leader's sword, yanking it free and tossing it aside. The man growled and lunged. He exchanged blows with Ron, sending both of them flying. Ron got up faster, and immediately ran at his opponent. The man followed, and they both clashed again. Ron was hit in the face, sending more blood flying, but spun around, using the momentum to land a decisive palm strike to the man's chest, cracking his armor and sending him into a nearby tree. Ron stood motionless as he saw the four warriors disappear, dissolving into a black smoke. As his monkey powers faded, Ron began to feel the pain of the fight swell up inside him. He doubled over and passed out on the road, exhausted and wounded.

Kim sat in her seat and buckled her seatbelt, ready for another eight hour flight back to France. She looked out the window she was sitting at and frowned. She didn't feel right leaving Ron alone again. She didn't feel right leaving a mission unfinished. She had been able to call the Tri-City Museum and let them know it was going to take her a bit longer to find the tablet, but when she did, she'd get hold of them. Wade would most likely call her when he got a lead, and she'd be able to jet back to Middleton for a weekend, solve the case, and return to Paris again. This was how her life would be, she figured. At least for a little while.

Kim sat back and closed her eyes as the plane taxied to the runway. It stopped, ready to liftoff. The flight attendants stood in the isles, giving their safety routine. Kim could hear the message over the loudspeaker: "Please make sure your seats and tray-tables are in the upright and locked position, and that you have turned off all cellular and electronic devices. Remember, you must leave your phones off until we have safely landed in Paris…" Kim suddenly opened her eyes. She had forgotten to turn off her Kimmunicator. She reached in her backpack and grabbed the watch._ Do-do-di-do_.

_Perfect timing,_ Kim thought. She pulled the Kimmunicator out of her bag and answered it. "Wade, I can't talk right now, we're about to take off. Can this wait a few hours?"

"No, it can't." Wade looked dead serious. Kim looked up as a short, plump stewardess stood over her.

"Please turn off your cell phone… watch, miss. We're going to be taking off soon."

"Sorry, this is really important, can I just…"

"Miss, we are taking off. You must turn off your phone. If you do not, we will be forced to confiscate it." The woman became very stern and irritated.

"Just turn on flight-safe mode. Small button on the side." Wade said. Kim pressed the button and a little airplane symbol appeared in the corner of the screen. The woman huffed and walked away.

"So what's up?"

"It's Ron." Kim's eyes grew wide. Something happened. "He was found unconscious on the side of the road. He was beat up pretty bad. It looks like a scooter accident." Kim gasped. "He's been admitted to your mom's hospital. She told me not to call you, but I thought you should..." Kim unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her backpack. Something wasn't right. Ron couldn't hurt himself too badly on that scooter, it didn't go that fast. She stood up and began walking towards the front of the aircraft. "Kim what are you doing?"

"I've got to go, Wade." Kim turned the screen off and stopped in front of the door. The short stewardess was standing in front of her.

"Excuse me, you need to sit down. We're going to take off and-" Kim pushed her out of the way. Ron was hurt and she wasn't going to sit down. She wasn't going to go back to her seat and sit for 

eight hours until she was back in Paris and then find out if he was ok. Or even alive. She was going to do what she always did, what she always wanted to do: help. Kim pulled the lever and pushed. The door opened. Kim jumped.

* * *

_Ok, and that is it. A nice piece of action, to get the actual plot moving. I'm currently coming off a few projects from my "job" as you could call it, so hopefully I'll be able to have the next chapter up very soon. Oh and the next chapter is: "Extended Visit"_


	9. Extended Visit

_So I hit a bit of a writer's block these last few days. I wasn't sure how I wanted to write this chapter out. It probably won't be the strongest chapter, but at least I tried. Enjoy!_

* * *

Kim hit the ground hard and rolled. She stood up and looked around. The plane was still sitting on the runway, waiting to take off. The stewardess that had blocked her exit stared in disbelief before closing the hatch. Kim turned towards the terminal and ran. She ran hard and fast, moving like lightning. She jumped onto a baggage claim belt, much to the surprise of the TSA officials offloading luggage, and came out in the arrivals area. She ran out the door and up to a cab.

"Middleton Medical Center please." She got in and the cab driver sped away. While Kim was sitting in the back seat, she thought about the situation, very worried. Ron had fallen off his scooter before, and it had never injured him. The thing wasn't capable of hurting him; it only went 10 miles per hour. Which means something else had happened. Hit and run? Possibly. The fact that it was the middle of the day and that it was Sunday made that unlikely. Kim noticed that as she was being driven to the hospital, there were hardly any cars on the road. Kim closed her eyes. She hadn't been at the airport for more than three hours. Maybe it was someone else. Perhaps someone attacked Ron. Kim started to think this had something to do with whoever stole the tablet, and she was worried.

In fifteen minutes, the cab stopped in front of the Middleton Medical Center, the hospital that Kim's mom worked in. Kim flew out of the car, throwing what bills she had at the driver. The emergency room was quiet. Apparently no one got hurt on Sunday afternoons. Kim approached the receptionist, a tall, thin, pale girl playing a video game from behind a counter.

"I'm looking for Ron Stoppable's room, please."

"Uh, sorry? Stoppable? That doesn't sound like a name." The girl didn't look up.

"Yes, it is. Ron Stoppable. He came in this morning. Which room is he in?" Kim began to get irritated.

The girl looked up. "Stoppable? Uh, I don't know."

"Listen, usually I'm not this impatient, but I'm not having a very good day." Kim reached out and closed the game screen. "I just found out that my boyfriend got into a car accident and might be dead. I'm not handling that very well, I know, so I need to see him. Where is he?"

"Um, sorry, let me check." The girl pulled out a clipboard with a thick pad of paper on it and flipped through the pages. "He's in room 207. That's upstairs. Take this visitor's badge." The girl handed Kim a sticker that said "visitor" on it and Kim left.

"Thank you." Kim said, sighing. She raced up the access stairs and through the hall. She stopped in front of the door marked "207". She didn't know what to expect when she walked in. Ron could be bruised and bloodied and dying. Or, he could be fine and everyone inside could be laughing about the whole thing. Kim wasn't sure, and she was scared. She hoped beyond hope that he was ok. She didn't want anything bad to happen. She'd never forgive herself if the one time someone she loved really needed her, she was sitting on a plane, ready to run away. Tears formed in Kim's eyes. She wiped them away and placed her fist against the door. She had to be strong. She always was. Kim knocked.

Ron's mom opened the door and jumped slightly from surprise. "Kim?" everyone else in the room turned to look at her. Ron's parents were standing next to the door. Kim's mom and a nurse were by Ron's bedside, looking at some charts. Rufus and Hana were on Ron's bed, Rufus' body bandaged. They were playing with Ron who was sitting up, his head bandaged and left arm in a sling. Under his hospital fatiques, Kim could see bandages running over his chest. Ron's right eye had a black ring around it, and his face was swollen and bruised.

"Kim? What are you doing here?" Ron asked as he reached out and grabbed Kim's hand.

"Wade called. I had to come."

"But what about Paris?"

"What about it? College can wait. What happened? Are you ok?"

"He's just got some bruises and he lost a bit of blood. Nothing life threatening. It looks a lot worse than it is." Said Kim's mom, reading off a chart.

"But what happened?" Kim turned back to Ron.

"We'll just wait outside." Kim's mom said as she and Ron's parents left the room.

"Well, they won't believe me, says it's a delusion from the concussions." Ron said as Hana crawled into his lap.

"What?"

"I was attacked by these four huge guys dressed in black armor. They had swords and were really tough. They threw me and the scooter into a guardrail and beat me up."

"Really?" Kim said with an incredulous look on her face.

"Yes! But I was able to use my mystical monkey powers to beat them. You believe me, right?"

"Yeah, of course. Weirder stuff has happened to us before." Kim recalled the hundreds of things that were weirder than four armor-clad warriors with swords appearing out of nowhere and assaulting Ron.

"The strangest thing was, they just disappeared after I beat them. Like the turned into smoke and poofed." Ron made a large hand gesture which Hana copied.

"Poof!" Hana exclaimed.

"And they kept asking about a medallion. Oooh! And they mentioned the tablet!"

"The tablet? Really?" Kim thought for a second. "Medallion? Hold on a second." Kim flicked her Kimmunicator on and Wade appeared.

"Wade, what do you know about the Tablet of Infinite Death and medallions?" Wade typed a few keys on his keyboard.

"Wow. A lot. In the myth I told you about, the tablet's power came from combining four medallions and the tablet. The medallions each gave the user a special power. Together, they turned the user into a god. Wow, this thing's trouble."

"Yeah, thanks Wade. Does the book say anything about what the medallions look like?"

"Just describes them as golden coins. Each one has a different symbol on it, like the symbols on the tablet. No pictures though."

"That's ok. Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Kim lowered her Kimmunicator as she felt a revelation come to her. "Ron, where's that coin you found?"

"The one from the museum? I spent it at Bueno Nacho last night." Ron said.

"You what?"

"Well, I mean after the dinner, and the necklace, and the dress, I was pretty strapped for cash. It's a good thing I found that dollar though."

"Ron! That wasn't a golden dollar you found. It was one of the medallions." Kim sat on the edge of Ron's bed, head in her hands.

"Oh! That makes sense now. It didn't fit in a soda machi- Hey! That's why they attacked me!"

"Exactly. I've got to go. Maybe I can get there before whatever those guys were." Kim kissed Ron's cheek and ran out the door before Ron could protest. "Mom, can I borrow your car?"

"I don't know. It's almost lunch…"

"Cafeteria? Come on, I'll be back in no time." Kim's mom began to protest. "It's a save the world thing." Kim's voice rang. Dr. Possible gave up and handed her the keys.

Kim pulled up to Bueno Nacho. It was still standing, which meant that no evil demons had attacked it yet. She ran inside and up to the counter where Ned was standing.

"Kim! What can I do for you?" Ned said.

"I need that dollar coin that Ron used to pay last night."

"What? Why?"

"It's very important. That thing's dangerous. It's uh… Not actually a dollar."

"Really? Wait, what?"

Kim sighed. "I don't have time to explain. Ron accidentally paid with it last night because he didn't realize that it wasn't actually money and…" Inside Kim's head, she was screaming at herself. This was quite possibly the stupidest situation she had ever been in.

"Um, right… Well, I don't do the deposit from Saturday until Monday, so it's still around here somewhere." Ned walked into a back room, searched for a minute, and came back holding a large plastic bag full of money. He opened the bag and reached a hand in it. He pulled out the dull, golden coin and placed it on the counter. The medallion was simple: a golden disc with a single symbol, an X shape with four small circles surrounding it, in the center. "Wow, you're right. How did I not notice that?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, thanks." Kim scooped up the coin and placed it in her pocket. She pulled out a dollar bill from her purse and handed it to Ned. Kim thought for a second, and then pulled out some more money. "Can I get Ron's usual to go?"

"No problem." Ned said, placing the dollar in the plastic bag, then rang up the order. He handed Kim the food, and she left the store.

Kim got in the car and turned on the Kimmunicator. "Hey, Wade."

"What's up?"

"I found the medallion."

"Ok, you should probably keep it on you. There's a good chance that whoever's looking for it is going to track it to you."

"Will do." Kim parked her mom's car in the staff parking lot of the hospital. _Let them come_, she thought. She'd take them all down and wrap this mission up quick. Kim returned to Ron's room, where he was sitting alone, flipping through TV stations.

"Hey, KP! How'd the medallion hunt go?" Ron dropped the remote and gestured for Kim to sit on the bed next to him.

Kim pulled the coin from her pocket. "No big, all done." She sat down. "And check it out. I figured you'd get sick if you ate hospital food, so I got you some Bueno Nacho." Ron smiled as she placed the bag on his bedside tray. "So Ron, what's the sitch? Are you going to get out of here soon?"

"Yeah, your mom says I should be able to go home tomorrow. They want make sure I'm ok overnight. You, uh… You want to hang out for a while?" Ron pulled out a Naco from the bag, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

"Of course." Kim sat back, pressing her back against Ron's pillow. Ron picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

"So, when are you leaving?" Ron asked as he took a big gulp of soda.

Kim hadn't thought about it. She didn't really have a plan. Her only goal was to make sure Ron was ok, and now that that was taken care of, she didn't know what to do. Kim felt the medallion slowly slide out of her pocket and on to the bed. She reached out and picked it up.

"I guess I'm here until we finish this mission." Kim put the medallion back into her pocket. "I'm not leaving you hanging with those guys bent on world domination. Those guys mean business."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't think I'm going to get in anymore fights anytime soon, though. I forgot how much they tend to hurt."

Kim laughed. "We'll take them on together."

"No serious injury?"

"Nope. Well, hopefully."

"Cool." Ron finished eating and pushed the tray away. Rufus jumped onto the tray and began munching on what Ron hadn't eaten. Ron turned to Kim and smiled. "You know, it's pretty badical to have you back here. Even if it's only for a few days."

"Yeah, it is." Kim kissed Ron and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron winced slightly and Kim shot up. "Sorry! I forgot about you-" Ron kissed Kim's cheek and smiled.

"It's cool, don't worry about it." Kim smiled and returned her head to his shoulder. They sat there, taking in each other's company and chatting away. Kim told Ron about the flight attendant who was less than happy about Kim jumping out of an airplane. Ron laughed so hard he caused himself to keel over in pain. Kim looked at him worryingly. Ron shook it off and smiled. He told her about the fight, how he had valiantly taken down all four men "single-handedly." Kim rolled her eyes.

The door opened and Dr. Possible stepped inside the room. "Oh, hello Kimmy. Get what you needed?"

"Yeah, thanks for the car." Kim pulled her mom's car keys out of her pocket and handed them to her.

"No problem." Anne walked over to Ron's bed and picked up a chart.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Well, just checking in on you." She looked at various machines, writing notes. "Everything seems fine. You'll be able to go home tomorrow morning. I'd let you out tonight, but we have an overnight procedure with all car crash victims. And, as that's what you were admitted for, not fighting a medieval knight, that's what has to happen."

"There were four of them. And they weren't knights, they were demons!"

"Right... Well, I see Kim already brought you dinner. I'll just cancel your meal order. Maybe bring up some Jello and ice cream instead."

"Alright! Bring on the ice cream!" Rufus looked up from an empty nacho bowl and whined. He had gorged himself and now couldn't even fit any ice cream in his stomach.

"Alright, I'll let the nurses know. Kim, I guess you can stay here until I'm done tonight? I've got a procedure in two hours and then I'm done for the day. Shouldn't take too long." Anne started walking out of the room.

"Actually, I'll probably just stay here tonight. You know, keep an eye on Ron?"

"Um, sure. I'll get someone to bring up a cot for you then. See you later." Anne left the room.

"Booya! Slumber party with KP!"

"You act as if this is something new." Kim said jokingly.

"Well, relatively, yeah." Ron picked up the remote to the bed and positioned his backrest so that he was lying at a shallower angle. "So explain these medallion things."

So, Kim told Ron everything Wade had said. She reiterated that the medallion needed to be protected and that they were going to use it to flush out the enemy. Whoever that was. After that subject faded, they turned to different topics, eating away at the long night ahead. Kim couldn't help but notice how similar their situation was to her past slumber parties. They were gossiping like high school girls, and Kim found it hilariously not out of the ordinary.

"Wait, so Drakken and Shego…?" Kim stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, I know right? Gross."

"Well it explains why Shego was so quick to turn good, I guess. Still, it's a little odd."

"'Odd' doesn't do it justice. This is downright wrong."

"No, not really. They are kind of perfect for each other." Kim checked the clock on the wall. 11:30. Time really flew.

"What do you mean?"

"They're a lot like us."

"As in she's strong and independent and he's a total loser who doesn't deserve her?"

"No, as in they've known each other forever but it took them this long to realize their feelings. And yeah, maybe Drakken's a loser, but you aren't. Where did that come from?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just kidding." Ron rolled on his side and closed his eyes. "It's pretty late. Bedtime?"

Kim laughed and kissed Ron's cheek. "Sure thing." She crawled out of Ron's bed and laid down in the cot her mom had brought in for her. She threw the blanket over herself and looked up at Ron. "Good night, Ron Stoppable."

There was no answer. Kim figured Ron had already fallen asleep. She closed her eyes. "Good night, Kim Possible." Kim heard coming from Ron's bed. She smiled. She laid there, thinking to herself. Kim wished she and Ron could do this more often, sans the hospital stay. Ron was happy to have her around, and she had no intention of making him unhappy. It seemed like Kim was sticking around.

* * *

_Now I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to end this one. I think it worked pretty well. Hopefully, anyway. Next chapter: "Struggle at the Bueno Nacho" hopefully up by Monday._


	10. Struggle At the Bueno Nacho

_So, I know it's been a little while since my last update. You can thank college finals for that. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the next few chapters in a slightly more standard time frame. Anyway, I had to do some actual research for this chapter. I kind of wanted it to be as historically accurate as possible (even though it really isn't). Enjoy and let me know what you thought._

* * *

Kim woke up to the sterile smell of a hospital room. She saw Ron, already awake and dressed, standing above her.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Ron sat down on the foot of the bed he had slept in the night before, pulling a shoe on his foot.

"What time is it?" Kim sat up slowly, adjusting to the bright lights and clean smell.

"Uh, ten, I think? Yeah. They discharged me like an hour ago. I've just been waiting for you to get up."

"Ok, well I'm awake, so…"

"Alright, let's get out of here." Ron grabbed Kim's hand and helped her up. He moaned and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, Ron. Don't strain yourself. Let's go home. You aren't allowed to do anything today." Kim rubbed Ron's shoulder and walked out of the room. They left the hospital, standing in the parking lot before realizing neither of them had a car.

"Hey Wade… We need a ride." Kim said, talking into her Kimmunicator.

"From the hospital? I'll just access your car's GPS to remote drive it there." Wade typed furiously on his keyboard.

"You can do that?" Ron asked, looking from Kim's wrist to her face.

"Of course. It's easier than actually driving. It'll be there in a few minutes. Now, I gotta go, your dad's having me run diagnostics on his latest prototype. Really technical. See you later." Wade cut out and the two sat on a nearby bench. In ten minutes, Kim's car pulled up and opened its doors.

"That's some service!" Ron said, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Better than valet." Kim commented as she drove off. They drove home, neither really saying anything. They were both all smiles, Ron happy that Kim was still home, and Kim happy that Ron was still alive.

They pulled into Kim's driveway and went inside. Ron dropped onto the couch and Kim went to the kitchen. She returned holding two bowls of cereal.

"Oh, you read my mind. I'm so done with hospital food." Ron sat up and took a bowl from Kim. Rufus hopped out of Ron's pants pocket and onto the coffee table. The three ate quickly. When Ron's bowl was empty, he dropped his spoon and sat back.

"So… What's the plan for today?"

"Well, you aren't doing anything, remember? You need to sit here and heal."

"Aww, but Kim!" Ron protested.

"No, you're hurt. You need to get better."

"But I feel fine!" To emphasize, Ron stood up and flexed his arms. He stopped, sharp pains running through his body. "Ow. Ow ow."

"Kim pushed Ron back onto the couch. "You stay put. Watch some TV. I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Ron grabbed the remote.

"Doing some research. I'm going to figure out exactly what we're up against."

"Why can't you get Wade to do it?"

"We can't get Wade to do everything for us. And anyway, he's still working with my dad, remember?" Be back soon, don't hurt yourself."

Kim walked out the door. As she walked to her car, she heard Ron shout, "Booya! Captain Constellation marathon!" Kim smiled and shook her head. _Oh Ron_, she thought.

Four hours later, Kim made her way back to the front door of her house. She heard a crash and ran in, bursting through the door. She stopped as Rufus flew by on a miniature rocket followed by an unmanned one. Ron, Tim, and Jim were standing in the kitchen, each with a remote control in hand. At the edge of the room, one rocket was in pieces on the floor.

"Hey, you cheated!" Tim said, pointing at Ron.

"Nuh uh! It's not my fault you can't fly straight!" Ron stuck out his tongue.

"Stupid rockets…" Tim walked into the living room and picked up the pieces. "Oh, hey Kim! You're still here?"

"Yeah…" Kim turned to Ron. "I see you're feeling better." She put her hands on her hips.

"Much. Captain Constellation really helped. Then the twins got home from school and… Yeah. So, how'd the research trip go?" Ron set his controller on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

"Well, Wade was right about there being little information on the tablet." Kim sat next to Ron. "It took me like two hours to just find a place to start. Eventually, I was able to find evidence of several sightings of the tablet throughout history. It's like it pops up every couple hundred hears and disappears. Usually it's mentioned in relation to some form of cataclysmic event. The fall of the Roman Empire, the tsunami at Alexandria. It was even found in a drawing from the Valley of the Kings. It was telling the story of the Plagues of Egypt. This thing's been everywhere."

"Wait, the plagues? Like the Exodus?" Ron sat up slightly. "I thought those were good."

"Well, yeah, but not to the Egyptians. Point is, there's a major relationship between these big events and the tablet."

"What does it all mean?"

"Sounds like you've got a grade-A evil artifact on your hands." Jim said, sitting at the coffee table.

"Yeah, sounds pretty bad." Tim replied, dropping his broken rocket parts on the table.

"Kim fighting the Harbinger of Death? Awesome!"

"Hoo-sha!"

"No, not 'Hoo-sha'. Bad. I have to talk to Wade. Let him know what I found." Kim got up and went upstairs, leaving Ron and the tweebs in the living room.

"Want to race again?" Ron asked Jim.

"And break another rocket? No thanks." The twins got up and left for their own room.

"Well then…" Ron looked around. Rufus was sitting on the table, playing with the rocket controls. Ron had turned off the TV because nothing interesting was on. After a few minutes, Kim walked back downstairs.

"Kim I'm bored!" Ron blurted out.

"Uh… Ok. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know…" Ron thought for a few seconds. "Hungry?"

"Starving, actually. Ideas?"

"Actually…" Ron walked into the kitchen. Kim followed, watching as Ron scoured the cabinets, pulling out several boxes and cans.

"Um, Ron?" Kim asked picking up a can of tomatoes.

"All a part of the process. Hey, where's the Prosciutto?"

"Uh what?"

"Italian ham? Really thin." Ron emphasized with his fingers.

"I don't think we have any. Why?"

"You can't make pasta rags with prosciutto di Parma without the prosciutto."

"Ron, are you cooking?" Kim sat on the counter and looked at Ron incredulously.

"That was the idea. We're going to Smarty Mart!" Ron ran out of the kitchen and outside. Kim followed, skeptical.  
Kim and Ron pulled out of the Smarty Mart parking lot an hour later, Kim's backseat full of bags of ingredients. Ron seemed to have gone a little overboard.

"I'm telling you Kim, don't knock it until you try it."

"I'm sure, but why did you have to buy half of Smarty Ma-" Kim paused. "What's the sitch at Bueno Nacho?" Kim pointed out her window. As they passed the restaurant, they could see four tall, dark figures standing at the counter as other patrons were quickly leaving.

"Hey… Those are the guys that attacked me! What are they-"

"THE MEDALLION!" They both said in unison. Kim stopped the car and jumped out, Ron following close behind her. They rushed through the doors.

"Tell us where the medallion is or we will destroy you!" One of the men demanded as he lifted Ned above the counter by his collar.

"I don't know I-" Ned turned his head to see Kim. "Kim! Help!"

Kim didn't hesitate. She jumped in, kicking at the man who held Ned. His grip broke as Kim's foot landed on his head. The other three stepped back as Kim landed. She turned, facing them. They lunged together, but Kim jumped up and out of the way. She landed behind them and kicked, sending them into the counter. The leader stood up and unsheathed his sword. He swung at Kim who backpedaled, avoiding being struck. She reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, throwing him over her shoulder and through a window.

Ron helped Ned get out then ran in to join Kim, but was stopped by three large, black dogs blocking his path. "Oh, look puppies!" The dogs snarled and together burst into flames. Their black skin heated up red and they lunged at Ron. "Ah! Not puppies! Demon dogs!" Ron ran back out the door as the three pursued him.

Kim jumped onto the back of one of the warriors, leaping off and landing behind the counter. She grabbed food trays and began throwing them. The trays did nothing as the three remaining warriors climbed over the counter. Kim smiled as she swung her elbow back, knocking into the nozzle on the soda machine. The nozzle broke off, sending soda gushing out, knocking the three back and over the counter again. Kim jumped, but was thrown midair as one of the men clipped her leg. The other two got back up and grabbed Kim, each holding an arm. Kim struggled, but was stopped with a punch to the stomach. Kim gasped for air as the leader sauntered back into the establishment. He approached Kim and reached a hand into her pocket. He withdrew the medallion, holding it up to the light to make sure it was what he was looking for.

Ron suddenly burst through the door, chased by the three flaming dogs. He knocked into the leader, sending the medallion flying. Kim saw this as her chance and wrestled out of her captors' grip. 

She tackled the third warrior, sending them all to the ground. Ron kept running, scampering over the counter. The three dogs pounced. Rufus, who fell out of Ron's pocket as he was running, climbed onto the soda machine and kicked through another soda nozzle, spraying the dogs with water, extinguishing them. They yelped in pain and ran off. Ron got back on his feet.

Kim and the leader scrambled for the medallion. Punches flew and Kim was knocked onto the floor. The medallion rolled out of the tussle and stopped at Ron's feet.

"KP, I got it!" Ron called as he picked up the medallion. Suddenly, two of the warriors lunged, shoving Ron into an ice machine behind the counter, rendering him unconscious. The medallion flew from his hand and was caught by the third warrior.

"Ron!" Kim screamed as she was thrown onto the floor. The leader picked her up and held her. Kim saw a flash of light as a round hole opened up in the middle of the room. From the hole stepped a tall man in a black cloak. The man's face was hidden, but he carried with him an air of authority. Kim knew that this was the man who had the tablet.

"Well hello there." The man said in a raspy voice. "You're the one who's had my medallion? A little girl?"

"Excuse me." Kim choked. "I guess you don't know who I am."

"No, I don't. And I don't really care." The man turned and walked to the warrior holding the medallion. He took it and walked back to Kim. "I guess you don't know what this is, do you?"

Kim scowled defiantly. "No I don't. And I don't really care."

"That's ok. You don't need to know. I must thank you for returning it to me, though. I was deeply disturbed when I found out that I had dropped it as I was leaving the museum. It definitely caused a delay in my plans. In any case, I have it again, and that's what matters."

"What's it for?"

"You don't need to worry about that." The man patted Kim's head. "Now I'm going to let you live, as thanks for bringing me the medallion. I suggest you run as far away from here as you possibly can. You might survive a little longer." The man cackled and turned. Another bright light formed in front of him. He stepped through it and disappeared. Behind Kim, she felt the armored warrior's grip loosen, dropping her to the floor. As she turned around, all she saw was black smoke. Around her, the other three turned into smoke as well, disappearing. Kim picked herself up and went to get Ron. Rufus was on him, attempting to wake him up. Kim shook him.

"Owww! Not again." Ron rubbed his forehead.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Kim helped Ron up and together they walked out of the ruins of the store towards Kim's car.

_And the plot thickens. The bad guy is revealed to the heroes. Don't worry, it's not all going to be action-action-action. I just wanted to move the story along before this becomes too much of a fluff-fest and loses substance. But hey, next chapter: "Discouraged" will fill my fluffy quota for the next week or so. Stay tuned._


End file.
